Chip-card readers are built into various apparatuses or the like, for example telephone apparatuses, so as to make the use of e.g. the telephone apparatus dependent on the insertion of a suitable chip-card.
A large number of chip-card readers are already known and, in this context, reference is made to the German laid-open publication DE-OS 38 10 274. In a known design of a chip-card reader, a construction that the present invention particularly but not solely develops further, a stationary component (frame) is used, whereby a moveable part in the form of a so-called contact support (contact carrier) is reciprocally mounted in the stationary frame. Guide means are provided for the movement of the contact support that takes place between a starting position and a reading position. If a chip-card is inserted into such a card reader, a pushing force ("push") must be carried out on the chip-card in order to displace the contact support to its reading position. In the reading position, the contact support together with the chip-card, whose contacts now are contacted, are fixedly held through brake or holding means (brake), generally opposing the force of return spring means that strive to bring the contact support back into its starting position . When one desires to again remove the card after the reading operation, one must pull ("pull") on the end of the card generally still sticking out of the chip-card reader in order to thus free the card and the contact support from the brake. During this pulling out of the chip-card, the contact support also then moves back again to its starting position, generally under the influence of said return spring means. A chip-card reader of this design is also referred to as working according to the push-pull principle.
Other known chip-card readers, in particular also of the type of a push-pull chip-card reader, are known from DE 38 10 274.1. They are called "simple" readers in that no moveable contact support is used, but rather the contact elements are mounted on or injection molded directly into a frame. A lower or bottom portion forms a card seat, said lower portion being fixable on an upper portion, for instance the frame. Since the lower portion in itself is not necessary, it can, for example, be provided by the apparatus in which the chip-card reader is used, whereby the apparatus then provides the card seat.
The use of a card seat in the form of a lower portion of the chip-card reader or also in the form of a portion of an apparatus in which the chip-card reader is used has the disadvantage that foreign bodies, such as only a part of a chip-card (e.g. half of a chip-card), inserted (sometimes even intentionally) into the chip-card reader, block the entire reader. Such vandalism can make the apparatus in which the chip-card reader is used unusable.